SECTION A: CORE CONTENT. Option A: The nineteenth century. Before the American Civil War, tensions between slave and free states increased.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2024). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Abolitionism was a movement in the US to abolish slavery.
2. [1] Supporters wanted the immediate emancipation of all slaves.
3. [1] Many of the founders of the movement were white, religious Americans.
4. [1] Leading abolitionists were William L Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and John Brown.
5. [1] John Brown was an abolitionist who resorted to violence to free slaves at Harpers Ferry 1859.
6. [1] Abolitionists sent petitions to Congress to ask for slavery to be ended.
7. [1] They wrote pamphlets against slavery which were published in the South.
8. [1] Abolitionism became popular in the North and started in the 1830s.
9. [1] Abolitionism started in states such as New York and Massachusetts.
10. [6] Level 4: Explains two reasons.
11. [4-5] Level 3: Explains one reason. Four marks for one explanation, five marks for explanation supported by specific contextual knowledge.
12. [4] There was a dispute about whether Texas would be slave owning or free. Northerners were afraid that if Texas joined it would tip the balance of states in favour of the South. The territory was so large that it could be divided into five separate states and if all of these became slave holding then the free states would be outnumbered.
13. [2-3] Level 2: Identifies or describes valid reason(s); addresses the question but does not explain. One Level 2 mark for each identification/description.
14. [1] There was a dispute about whether Texas would be slave owning or free.
15. [1] Texas was so large it could be divided into several states.
16. [1] Northerners did not want Texas to join the Union.
17. [1] Southerners wanted Texas to join the Union.
18. [1] Mexico was angry because it claimed Texas was still part of its territory.
19. [1] There were disputes over the borders between Texas and Mexico.
20. [1] When war broke out, the North opposed it.
21. [1] The war to take Texas cost over $100 million.
22. [1] Level 1: Writes about the topic but does not address the question.
23. [1] President Polk was responsible for the annexation of Texas.
24. [0] Level 0: No creditable response. 0 marks
25. [10] Level 5: Explains both sides and supports a valid judgement on 'how far'. One explanation or more on each side.
26. [10] The Compromise was not a success. It helped to keep the peace for a while longer but did not resolve the fundamental dispute between the abolitionists and the Southern slave owners about whether it was right to own slaves.
27. [7-9] Level 4: Explains both sides. For candidates to be awarded this level they must have one explanation on each side; one additional mark for each additional explanation on either side.
28. [4-6] Level 3: Explains one side. One Level 3 mark for each explanation.
29. [4] Divisions over slavery in territory gained in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48 were resolved in the Compromise of 1850. It allowed Utah and New Mexico to determine by popular sovereignty whether each state should accept slavery or decline it.
30. [4] The Compromise strengthened the Fugitive Slave Law and many argue that this simply made things worse between North and South. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Law aroused bitter feelings in the North and there was opposition and civil disobedience to get round the terms of the law. This showed that the Compromise had failed to resolve issues around owning slaves.
31. [2-3] Level 2: Identifies or describes valid points; addresses the question but does not explain. One Level 2 mark for each identification/description.
32. [1] The Compromise was widely popular politically.
33. [1] It kept the peace between North and South for a decade.
34. [1] It made more obvious pre-existing sectional divisions.
35. [1] It admitted California as a free state.
36. [1] It created Utah and New Mexico.
37. [1] It ended the slave trade in Washington D.C.
38. [1] Level 1: Writes about the topic but does not address the question.
39. [1] Popular sovereignty was when a state could decide whether to allow slave-owning.
40. [0] Level 0: No creditable response.0 marks